NFL Game Recap - San Francisco at Cincinnati
Sun Sep 15, 2019 1:00 PM EDT

TB
20
CAR
14
F
DAL
31
WAS
21
F
IND
19
TEN
17
F
SEA
28
PIT
26
F
BUF
28
NYG
14
F
NE
43
MIA
0
F
JAX
12
HOU
13
F
MIN
16
GB
21
F
LAC
10
DET
13
F
SF
41
CIN
17
F
ARI
17
BAL
23
F
KC
28
OAK
10
F
NO
9
LAR
27
F
CHI
16
DEN
14
F
PHI
20
ATL
24
F
CLE
23
NYJ
3
F
TEN
7
JAX
20
F

Sep 15, 2019, 1:00 PM EDT

Final

1

2

3

4

T

San Francisco (2-0)

14

10

10

7

41

Cincinnati (0-2)

7

3

0

7

17

Garoppolo throws 3 TDs, 49ers roll over Bengals 41-17
Sun Sep 15, 2019 5:54 PM

CINCINNATI (AP) The ice cream was sweet, the Holiday Inn was quiet, the bonding time was plentiful. The San Francisco 49ers enjoyed their weeklong stay in Youngtown, Ohio, which got them ready for their final stop on the way home.

Cincinnati provided a most hospitable layover.

A 41-17 victory over the Bengals on Sunday completed the 49ers' long stay on the road and left them in rare air heading back to the West Coast. They're 2-0 for the first time since 2012 and looking very much like a contender.

"This is a franchise that won five championships, and we're trying to get back to that," cornerback Richard Sherman said. "It's a work in progress."

In this one, everything worked.

Jimmy Garoppolo tied his career high with three touchdown passes, Matt Breida ran for 121 yards, and San Francisco pulled off one big play after another while piling up 572 yards for the first time in seven years. The 49ers have opened with back-to-back road wins for the first time since 1989, when Joe Montana's crew was coming off its second Super Bowl win over the Bengals.

They have a fondness for the Buckeye State.

Rather than return to the West Coast after their opening 31-17 win in Tampa Bay, the 49ers headed to Youngstown, where they worked out on a soccer field, enjoyed a local ice cream shop and rested at a Holiday Inn.

"The week in Youngstown definitely paid off," said Garoppolo, who was 17 of 25 for 297 yards. "There was extra time to be around each other and talk about things."

By contrast, it couldn't have gone much worse for Bengals first-year coach Zac Taylor in his regular-season debut at Paul Brown Stadium.

The crowd of 50,666 began filing out after the third quarter. Cincinnati's defense had repeated breakdowns and missed tackles, and the offense managed only 25 yards rushing as the Bengals fell to 0-2 for the second time in the last three years.

The 41 points were the most allowed by the Bengals in a home opener.

"We didn't give the fans anything to be excited about," Taylor said.

An opening 21-20 loss at Seattle gave the Bengals hope that things would be better after three straight losing seasons. Instead, Seattle looked more like a mirage as the 49ers rolled ahead 31-10 after their opening drive of the second half, culminating in Garoppolo's third touchdown pass.

After an unproductive game at Tampa Bay that marked his return from knee surgery, Garoppolo was much sharper the second time around, taking full advantage of numerous breakdowns in the Bengals' coverages. The offense dominated all-around, piling up 259 yards rushing and averaging 6.2 per carry.

"It was an amazing feeling, going out and knowing you can run the ball down their throats," said Breida, who averaged 10.1 yards per carry.

Marquise Goodwin went unguarded for a 38-yard touchdown catch on their opening series, and Raheem Mostert turned a screen pass into an easy 39-yard score . The 49ers piled up 291 yards in the first half - more than they had in the opener - with three plays of at least 34 yards.

They had the look of a team excited to be heading home.

"To be on the road for 10 days - that adds up," coach Kyle Shanahan said. "I thought our guys were juiced today."

ANOTHER PICK

The Niners had three interceptions in the win at Tampa Bay, one more than all last season. They got another Sunday from linebacker Kwon Alexander.

NIFTY PLAY

On a drive to a field goal late in the first half, Garoppolo lateraled to receiver Dante Pettis, who threw back across field to Mostert for a 16-yard gain.

INJURIES

49ers: Left tackle Joe Staley broke the fibula in his left leg in the third quarter. The 49ers think he could return in less than eight weeks.

"I really think this team is special," Staley said. "I'm going to do everything in my power to get back and help this team down the stretch."

Bengals: The line suffered more sapping injuries. Left tackle Cordy Glenn missed a second straight game in concussion protocol, and backup Andre Smith suffered a groin injury in the first half. Rookie guard Michael Jordan was taken off on a cart in the fourth quarter with a left knee injury... Defensive end Carl Lawson hurt his right hamstring in the second half.

UP NEXT

49ers: host Pittsburgh next Sunday.

Bengals: at Buffalo next Sunday.

---

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Passing

SF Att Cmp % TD-Pa Yds-Pa LgPa Int Rat Sk
J. Garoppolo 25 17 68.0 3 296 39 1 131.0 0
D. Pettis 1 1 100.0 0 16 16 0 118.8 0
CIN Att Cmp % TD-Pa Yds-Pa LgPa Int Rat Sk
A. Dalton 42 26 61.9 2 311 66 1 90.5 4

Rushing

SF Att Yds-Ru Avg LgRu TDRu
M. Breida 12 121 10.1 34 0
R. Mostert 13 83 6.4 20 0
CIN Att Yds-Ru Avg LgRu TDRu
J. Mixon 11 17 1.5 9 0
G. Bernard 6 6 1.0 5 0

Receiving

SF Rec Yds-Rc Avg LgRc TD-Rc
D. Samuel 5 86 17.2 39 1
M. Goodwin 3 77 25.7 38 1
CIN Rec Yds-Rc Avg LgRc TD-Rc
T. Boyd 10 122 12.2 47 0
J. Ross 4 112 28.0 66 1

Team Stats Comparison

SF CIN
Points For 41 17
Total Yards 571 316
Rushing Yards 259 25
Passing Yards 312 291
Passing Completions / Attempts 18/26 26/42
Turnovers 1 1
Interceptions Thrown 1 1
Fumbles - Lost 0/0 1/0
First Downs 27 14
Rushing Touchdowns 2 0
Passing Touchdowns 3 2
Penalties - Yards 9/75 7/60
Time Of Possession 32:19 27:41
Third Down Conversions/Attempts 5/9 9/18
Fourth Down Conversions/Attempts 0/0 1/2
Red Zone Conversions/Attempts 3/5 1/3
Sacks Against 0 4
Punts - Average Yards 2/38 5/45
Punt Returns - Average Yards/Punt Return 2/2 0/0
Kickoff Returns - Average Yards/Kickoff Return 1/13 5/23

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter SF CIN
SF 03:47 TD Marquise Goodwin 38 yd pass from Jimmy Garoppolo (Robbie Gould kick) 7 0
CIN 08:17 TD Tyler Eifert 1 yd pass from Andy Dalton (Randy Bullock kick) 7 7
SF 12:24 TD Raheem Mostert 39 yd pass from Jimmy Garoppolo (Robbie Gould kick) 14 7
2nd Quarter SF CIN
SF 04:51 TD Jeff Wilson Jr. 2 yd run (Robbie Gould kick) 21 7
CIN 08:03 FG Randy Bullock 37 yd FG 21 10
SF 14:58 FG Robbie Gould 33 yd FG 24 10
3rd Quarter SF CIN
SF 02:50 TD Deebo Samuel 2 yd pass from Jimmy Garoppolo (Robbie Gould kick) 31 10
SF 10:26 FG Robbie Gould 38 yd FG 34 10
4th Quarter SF CIN
SF 00:04 TD Jeff Wilson Jr. 4 yd run (Robbie Gould kick) 41 10
CIN 14:15 TD John Ross III 66 yd pass from Andy Dalton (Randy Bullock kick) 41 17

Game Information

Stadium: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
Attendance: 50,666
Game Time: 2:59
Weather: